Ryanair is mounting a challenge to rival Wizz Air’s arrival at Southend airport.
The Irish no-frills giant is adding Bucharest and Vilnius to its network from Southend airport from November.
These are the two routes Wizz Air is to launch from the Essex airport at the same time.
More: Wizz Air to launch first flights from Southend
Ryanair’s new route to Bucharest in Romania will run with five flights a week, while Vilnius in Lithuania will be served three times weekly.
The push into eastern and central Europe follows the airline unveiling its first flights from Georgia with services to Italy and France this winter.
The new Southend routes coincide with Hungarian low-cost rival Wizz Air announcing its first flights from Southend, with five flights a week to Bucharest and twice-weekly to Vilnius.
Ryanair chief commercial officer David O’Brien said: “Ryanair is pleased to continue its central and eastern European expansion with the launch of two new Southend routes to Bucharest and Vilnius, commencing in November, as part of our extended winter 2019 schedule.
“Customers in Southend can now book flights to Lithuania and Romania as far out as March 2020, enjoying even lower fares and Ryanair’s great choice of destinations, with 39 countries in the Ryanair network, following our entry to the Geogian market earlier this week.”
